t 7585721 20060476F 001 003 2013
AI Summary
This document is a transcript of a Department of Defense news briefing conducted on June 24, 1997, where Kenneth H. Bacon addressed various topics, including UFOs and the Air Force's investigations into alleged sightings.
Key Findings
- The Pentagon has not confirmed any UFO sightings, attributing past reports to natural phenomena or aircraft lights. - The Air Force ceased investigations into UFOs over a decade ago, deeming them a waste of resources. - Kenneth H. Bacon humorously acknowledged the ongoing public interest in the Roswell incident, suggesting it would continue to be a topic of discussion.
OCR Text
F:\Cable\Data Source\Cables\CD025\JUN97\MSGS\M2819747.htmI Page 10f8 C a bI e PREC:, PRIORITY CLASS: UNCLASSIFIED LINE.!: PTTUZYUW RUEKJCS3094 1752 7-UUUU--RHEHAAA RHEHWSR. LINE2: ZNR UUUUU LINE3: P 242204ZJUN'97 FORWARD TOPAO LINE4: FM SECDEF WASHINGTON DC! IASD PAIDDIII OSRI: RUEKJCS DTG:. 24·2204ZJUN 97 ORIG: SECDEF WASHINGTON DCIIASD PAIDDIII TO: AIG 8775 INFO: IIII SUBJ: DOD NEWS BRIEFING -CONDUCTED ON TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 1997.AT TEXT: UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SUBJ: DOD NEWS BRIEFING CONDUCTED ON TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 1997 AT 1:30 P.M. (EDT) BY MR. KENNETH H. BACON, ASD (PA) AT THE PENTAGON MR. BACON: WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON. IT CERTAINLY ISA GREAT THRILL TO BE THE WARM-UP ACT 'TO THE ROSWELL UFO REPORT! [LAUGHTER) AND I WELCOME YOU ALL TO THE BRIEFING. LET ME MAKE A FEW ANNOUNCEMENTS AT THE BEGINNING, AND THEN I' TAKE YOUR QUESTIONS. I KNOW YOU ALL WANT TO GET ON TO UFOS, SO WE CAN DO THAT AS SOON AFTER I FINISH AS POSSIBLE. FIRST, I'D 'LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT SECRETARY COHEN HAS SENT A MESSAGE TO THE TROOPS ON FORCE PROTECTION ON THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE KHOBAR TOWERS BOMBING.' AND THAT'S AVAILABLE AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM FOR ANYBODY WHO WANTS A COPY OF THAT. THE, ANNIVERSARY, AS YOU KNOW, IS TOMORROW. SECOND, I'D LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT SECRETARY COHEN HAS ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS NOMINATED GENERAL WILLIAM PAGE 02 RUEKJCS3094 UNCLAS CROUCH OF THE ARMY TO TAKE OVER THE JOB OF VICE CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE ARMY HERE IN WASHINGTON. GENERAL CROUCH, AS YOU KNOW, IS' CURRENTLY THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF U.S" ARMY EUROPE AND ALSO THE SEVENTH ARMY IN GERMANY. AND WITH THAT; I'LL TAKE·YOUR QUESTIONS. Q: SPEAKING OF UFOS, WHAT'S THE PENTAGON'S TAKE ON THIS WHOLE THING? DO YOU ALL SUBSCRIBE TO THE AIR FORCE'S EXPLANATION THAT THESE WERE JUST A BUNCH OF DUMMIES DROPPED WITH PARACHUTES? A: I THINK IT'S -THE AIR FORCE HAS SPENT YEARS INVESTIGATING .THIS, NOT JUST THIS INCIDENT BUT A NUMBER OF, INCIDENTS, ALLEGED INCIDENTS INVOLVING .UFOS,ANDTHEY HAVE FOUND OTHER EXPLANATIONS FOR ALMOST I BELIEVE FOR ALL OF THESE. AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CONFIRM ANY SO-CALLED "SIGHTING" OF UFOS. THEY FO'UND EITHER NATURAL PHENOMENA TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED OR AIRCRAFT LIGHTS IN THE AREA TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED. BUT THERE HAVE A NUMBER OF EXPLANATIONS THEY HAVE COME UP WITH OVER THE YEARS. AS YOU KNOW, AFTER YEARS OF INVESTIGATING REPORTS OF UFOS, THE AIR 'FORCE STOPPED MORE THAN A DECADE AGO, F:\Cable\Data Source\Cables\CD025\JUN97\MSGS\M28 19747.htrnl Page 20f8 -. AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN INVESTIGATING THESE INCIDENTS AT ALL BECAUSE IT WAS A WASTE OF TAXPAYERS' MONEY TO KEEP INVESTIGATING PAGE 03 RUEKJCS3094 UNCLAS REPORTS THAT NEVER TURNED OUT TO BE T~UE. BUT THIS WILL BE EXPLAINED IN GREAT DETAIL VIS-A-VIS THE ~ ROSWEiL INCIDENT AS SOON AS I FINtSH. Q; DO YOU THINK THIS WILL PUT THIS WHOLE THING TO ~EST? A; OF COURSE NOT. [LAUGHTER] PROBABLY, IN ANOTHER. DECADE, WE'LL BE. HERE HAV~NG ANOTHER COLONEL WILL BE HERE GIVING ANOTHER BR~EFING ON THE ROSWELL INCIDENT. [LAUGHTER] Q; WHY DOES THIS COME OUT IN DRIBS AND DRABS? DOESN'T THAT SORT OF JUST FUEL CONSPIRACY? AND WHY WASN'T' IT INCLUDED IN 'THE 1994 REPORT? A: . WELL" I THINK THE AIR FORCE WILL EXPLAIN ALL THAT. BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, THIS HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED MANY TIMES, AND THIS IS AN EFFORT TO PULL TOGETHER THEIR LATEST THINKING ON IT. I THINK THEY'RE REISSU'INq AN OLDER REPORT, I. UNDERSTAND IT. [OFF MIKEl ISN'T THAT CORRECT? Q:. ON THE SUBJECT OF KHOBAR TOWERS, YOU MENTIONED THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY. IT HAS BEEN A YEAR. WHAT'S BEEN THE DELAY IN THE RELEASE OF THE RECORD REPORT AND ITS RECOMMENDATlONS, WHICH HAS BEEN COMPLETED FOR OVER SIX MONTHS NOW? A: WELL, THE RECORD REPORT WAS REDONE; AS YOU KNOW, AT THE PAGE 04 RUEKJCS309~ UNCLAS REQUEST OF THE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEF~NSE AND THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE.. AND THE SECOND REPORT, BY THE AIR FORCE IG, LIEUTENANT~GENERAL SWOPE, .wAS COMPLETED SHORTLY BEFORE THE QUADRENNIAL DEFENSE EW CAME OUT. SECRETARY COHEN MADE A \ DECISION AT THAT TIME THAT HE WAS GOING TO CONCENTRATE ON BRINGING THE QUADRENNIAL DEFENSE REVIEW TO CLOSURE AND PRESENTING IT ON ,THE HILL, PRESENTING IT TO THE ,AND HE DID THAT. AND SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER THE QDR WAS RELEASED AND EXPLAINED ON THE HILL, HE BEGAN LOOKING NOT JUST AT· THE SWOPE VERSION OF THE RECORD REPqRT, BUT HE WENT RIGHT BACK TO THE BEGINNING AND STARTED WITH THE DOWNIN.G REPORT. AND HE STARTED WITH NOT ONLY THE REPORT, BUT THE ATTACHMENTS, THE APPENDICES, AND THEN HE WENT THROUGH THE RECORD REPORT AND THE ATTACHMENTS AND THE APPENDICES, AND NOW HE IS ON TO THE SWOPE REPORT: AND SO THIS HAS BEEN A MONUMENTAL UNDERTAKING. HE HAS WANTED TO 'BE VERY CAREFUL AND THOROUGH, AND HE HAS BEEN. AND HE'S NOT.DONE YET. BUT MY ANTICIPATION IS THAT, IN SEVERAL WEEKS, HE WILL BE FINISHED WITH HIS REVIEW AND WILL BE ABLE TO DISCUSS WHAT HIS CONCLUSIONS ARE. Q: KEN, WHAT IS THE DEPART…
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